Chapter 72: What a Great Relationship
Nan Zishi didn’t notice the turbulent undercurrent between her two Beast Husbands. She happily introduced them, "Little White, this is Lanxing. He’s my Beast Husband."
"Lanxing, this is Hu Bai. He’s also my Beast Husband."
It was the first time the two male Beastmen had met, so the atmosphere was inevitably a little strange, but it wasn’t terrible.
Hu Bai extended a hand toward Lanxing. Lanxing looked at Hu Bai’s hand, mulling over the customs of Land Beastmen. ’This must be a gesture of friendship.’
So, Lanxing extended his hand as well.
The two male Beastmen shook hands lightly.
"Can I call you Lanxing?"
"What should I call you? Brother Hu Bai?"
"Whatever you want is fine."
Hu Bai said with a smile, "Lanxing, thank you for taking care of our female master these past few days."
’A fish... He’ll just take Nan Zishi into the sea, and he’s useless on land.’
A faint look of disdain appeared in Hu Bai’s eyes.
Lanxing shook his head. "It was no trouble. She is my female master as well. It’s my duty to care for her."
’A Land Beastman... he looks a bit sickly and doesn’t seem to have much stamina. Why did Sister choose a Beast Husband like this?’
Lanxing’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Nan Zishi felt relieved seeing the two males shake hands amicably.
’Looks like they’ve accepted each other. They get along so well!’
After pulling a long dress from her spatial storage to cover herself, she began to retract her superpower, turning her fishtail into a pair of legs.
Lanxing also wrapped his lower body in purple gauze as his fishtail transformed into a pair of long, slender legs.
Nan Zishi watched Lanxing’s entire transformation without blinking and said in astonishment, "Lanxing, you can really walk?"
Lanxing smiled. "Yes, I can walk."
While the adults were catching up, the cubs were doing the same.
Fox Qi and She Yang gathered around the Little Mermaid, and the three little ones were overjoyed.
"Little Fish, I can’t believe you’re really my sister!" Fox Qi was ecstatic, patting the Little Mermaid’s head.
Little Fu looked up and nuzzled Fox Qi’s little hand. "Bwother, Fufu, Fufu."
"Oh, I get it. Your name is Fufu?"
Little Fu nodded emphatically. "Mhm."
"Haha!" Fox Qi picked Little Fu up. "I have a little sister! Yang, did you hear that? We really have a little sister!"
Hissing, the Little Snake slithered over to play with them.
Nan Zishi, Hu Bai, and Lanxing walked to the shore together.
On the shore, a fire was burning next to the tent.
Nan Zishi picked up Little Lao Liu and said in surprise, "Little White, you actually managed to keep him alive!"
When she left them for the sea, Little Lao Liu had only just opened one eye. Now, not only were both eyes open, but he could even walk slowly!
Lanxing didn’t have time to pay attention to Little Lao Liu. He saw the fire and quickly hid behind Nan Zishi, crying out in terror, "Sister, fire!"
He peeked his head out to look at the fire, then, realizing something, quickly jumped in front of Nan Zishi. "Sister, get away from the fire!"
Nan Zishi couldn’t help but smile. She patted Lanxing’s arm. "Don’t be afraid. It’s okay, I’ll protect you."
Lanxing immediately hid behind Nan Zishi again, peeking out to watch.
Nan Zishi excitedly asked Hu Bai, "What are we roasting today?"
Hu Bai smiled. "A Long-eared Beast."
After so many days of seafood, she was definitely craving some roasted meat. Hu Bai had already prepared the Long-eared Beast. Nan Zishi grabbed a stick, skewered the beast, and placed it over the fire.
The fat from the Long-eared Beast sizzled, making Nan Zishi’s mouth water.
’I’m so hungry.’
Hiding behind Nan Zishi, Lanxing watched the fire, both confused and curious.
As she watched the meat roasting over the fire, Nan Zishi was suddenly filled with a sense of happiness.
’One is the Land Beastman, Hu Bai; the other is the mermaid from the sea, Lanxing.’
’How wonderful. Two males, one on land and one in the water. There’s no conflict between them; they’re both polite and well-behaved, so they won’t fight.’
She basked in the affection of two males, enjoying the bliss of having them both. Suddenly, she felt that living by the sea like this was quite nice.
’As for her other Beast Husbands and cubs...’
’Who cares?!’
’It’s like they say, "Too many cooks spoil the broth."’
’Well, the meaning isn’t exactly the same, but the core idea is similar.’
’Life with one Beast Husband is simple, and two can live in peace. But once there are seven...’
’Wouldn’t they be fighting every day?’
Nan Zishi glanced at the cautious male mermaid behind her. She smiled and said, "Lanxing, come sit over here."
Lanxing glanced at the fire but ultimately decided to endure his fear and sat down behind Nan Zishi.
Nan Zishi started dividing the Long-eared Beast meat she had roasted.
"Here, the cubs should eat well. The leg meat is for Fox Qi, Little Yang’er, and Little Fu."
Hu Bai looked a little disapproving.
Fox Qi added, "Mother should eat the best part. You should have the leg meat, Mother. My brother, sister, and I can share a piece."
’The cubs are so sweet.’ Nan Zishi’s heart warmed. "It’s alright. I actually prefer the belly meat, really."
As she spoke, she gave the hind legs of the Long-eared Beast to Fox Qi, She Yang, and Little Fu. She then divided the front legs, giving one to Hu Bai and one to Lanxing.
This wasn’t Hu Bai’s first time eating cooked food, so he blew on his piece briefly before taking a large bite.
Lanxing held the leg meat, looking very hesitant.
Nan Zishi said, "It’s a little hot right now. Blow on it before you eat. It tastes good."
Following Nan Zishi’s advice, Lanxing copied her and took a bite of the cooked meat. His beautiful eyes lit up.
"Sister, it’s delicious!"
Nan Zishi laughed. "Of course it is! I’m the one who roasted it, after all!"
...
Meanwhile, Lang Xian and Wolf Mu’s hands were still tied.
Ever since the two little wolf cubs, Lang Xian and Wolf Mu, had wandered into Stone Village, they had been captives. They were spotted and kidnapped by Hu Li, and her male partner, Fox Walk, had been leading them all the way toward the sea.
While passing the coastline, they saw Nan Zishi playing by the sea with several cubs. They even spotted Hu Bai packing things up!
Wolf Mu recognized Nan Zishi the moment he saw her. He whispered to Lang Xian, "Brother, that female... we saw her before when we went to that fox village. She’s the pretty female."
"She had lots of good food, and she shared it with the cubs."
Wolf Mu was extremely envious. He had lost weight after not having a full meal in days, and his stomach rumbled loudly.
Lang Xian followed Wolf Mu’s gaze and was also immediately captivated by the sight of Nan Zishi playing with the cubs.
He watched, mesmerized, for a dozen seconds or so. Then he forced himself to look down, staring at his tied wrists. He gritted his teeth and said to Wolf Mu, "Don’t even think about it. Our mother could never be a female that nice."
"Brother..."
"Wolf Mu, the most important thing for us right now is to escape. I can’t become a Beast Slave, and I certainly can’t let you become one. Otherwise, I won’t be able to face Night Daddy!"